1979 was the year Apple dreamed of multi-colored Macs, but it had to wait nearly 20 years before the release of the iconic iMac G3

Date:
Sun, 22 Mar 2026 18:05:00 +0000

Description:
Apples long obsession with colorful computers started in 1979 and still
shapes its Macs today.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter
With its new $599 MacBook Neo , Apple is pushing into a more competitive part of the laptop market, taking on budget Windows machines and Chromebooks.

Its a clever move intended to attract buyers who want something different without breaking the bank in these uncertain times. While a truly affordable MacBook is new ground for Apple, the tech giant is leaning on a familiar trick, one that has worked well for it before. The MacBook Neo arrives in Silver, Blush, Citrus, and Indigo, turning a laptop into something you pick based on personal taste as much as specs. Article continues below You may
like I love the MacBook Neo and its wild colors but Apple missed a big trick with the iPhone 17e Apple's MacBook Neo nails the netbook by being nothing like it Steve Jobs derided netbooks, and now Apples made one in the MacBook Neo

Walk into any electronics store and youll see rows of gray, black, and silver laptops, all blending together. With the colorful Neo, Apple is selling
buyers a simple idea that your laptop doesnt have to look like everyone elses.

While there are plenty of laptops in different colors, most come in safe, neutral finishes. Last year, Lenovo surprised buyers with a ThinkPad that moved away from its traditional black, but not into a rainbow world - with
its revolutionary move a White version . Any color... Computers have a lot in common with cars in this respect. Henry Ford famously said customers could have their motor vehicle any color they wanted, as long as it was black, and for decades, computers have followed a similar path (although for desktops, the color of choice was mostly beige).

Apple has long been one of the few companies to consistently push against that, most notably in 1998 with the launch of the iMac G3, or just the iMac
as it was first called. It arrived not long after Steve Jobs returned to the company, with Apple struggling and in need of a clear direction. The iMac was one of the first major products of that new era, built to simplify computing and make it feel more approachable. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our
newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me
with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

With its launch, Apple didnt just introduce a new computer, it rejected everything that had come before it visually. Next to the usual beige PCs, it looked like something from a different era.

The translucent Bondi Blue design made the machine feel approachable and personal. It wasnt trying to hide what it was, it was putting it on display.

Reactions were inevitably mixed at first, and not just because of the color
or the unusual shape, but because it was so different from everything else
out there. It didnt even have a floppy drive, something that was viewed as essential back then. What to read next Apple launches the MacBook Neo and it starts at a surprisingly low price 'We wanted something that felt fun and friendly, and fresh, and felt like it really suited the spirit of this product': Apple exec on why their new budget laptop is called MacBook Neo Here's how Apple's affordable MacBook Neo compares to the new Pro and Air models

People didnt know what to make of it, but the simplicity, the focus on
getting online quickly, and the bold design helped it stand out in a crowded market.

That shift paid off, with strong sales and a wave of new users. Apple sold nearly two million iMacs in its first year, and it became the best-selling computer in America and one of the fastest-selling computers in history. Pick your own fruit (colors) Buoyed by the success, Apple expanded the G3 into a full palette of fruit colors, including tangerine, grape, lime, strawberry, and blueberry.

Over time, the lineup grew even further, with shades like graphite, indigo, ruby, and patterns like Flower Power and Blue Dalmatian. Apple turned color into a defining feature, not just a cosmetic option.

You can see that carried through in later products, from iPods to iPhones, where color became a way to differentiate models and appeal to different tastes. Even today, Apple remains one of the few major companies offering multiple color options across nearly its entire lineup.

Interestingly, the idea of colored Apple computers dates back even further than the iMac G3. Two decades earlier, a 1979 Computerworld article covering Apples planned move into education includes a small but telling line. It
notes that certain Apple systems will come in colors and be tamper-proof, a statement that turned out to be very ahead of its time.

Color existed before Apple gave us the computer that turned around its fortunes, but it wasnt mainstream. In the early 1990s, Silicon Graphics introduced machines like the Indigo and Indy in bold indigo and bright teal finishes, but those were high-end systems aimed at specialists rather than everyday users. The color of their casings didnt define the products, and it didnt influence buying decisions in a meaningful way.

The MacBook Neo fits directly into that history. Its not just a cheaper laptop, its a continuation of a colorful idea that started nearly half a century ago. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to
click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/1979-was-the-year-apple-dreamed-of-multi-colored -macs-but-it-had-to-wait-nearly-20-years-before-the-release-of-the-iconic-imac -g3


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)